The Senate Agriculture Committee on Friday released a bipartisan farm bill that makes mostly modest adjustments to existing programs and, unlike the House version of the bill, doesn't pick a fight over food stamps. According to the Associated Press, the
Senate bill, dubbed the "Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018," is budget-neutral and aims to renew subsidy, conservation, nutrition, rural development and commodity programs set to expire on Sept. 30.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill also includes a measure to legalize industrial hemp. In April, McConnell introduced a hemp legalization bill, which he said in a news release has garnered support of 24 other senators.

The farm bill will go to the committee for a vote next week and sets up a possible confrontation with the House, whose bill went after the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. The House bill passed the committee on party lines, but last
month failed on the floor when a group of conservative lawmakers blocked its passage over an unrelated immigration bill.

House Democrats refused to support the bill, which sought sweeping changes to the SNAP program that included tightening work requirements for aid recipients. The House bill also sought to raise the age of exemption for seniors from 49 to 59, and impose
work requirements on parents with children older than six, reports the AP.

The House is planning to take up its version of the bill again sometime this month.